Lozano, Lima, Santos, Saunders Advance to 170 Semis at Bellator 49

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. -- Many tabbed Brent
Weedman as a dark horse in Bellator's Season 5 welterweight
tournament. In the main event of
Bellator 49 Saturday night at Caesars Atlantic City,
Cleveland's Chris
Lozano had something to say about it.

Overcoming a blown first round, Lozano rallied to earn a unanimous
decision, 29-28 across the board over the Kentuckyian Weedman, and
advance to the semifinals of the 170-pound bracket.

In the first round, Weedman took Lozano's back and threatened hard
with a rear-naked choke. However, in the second round, Lozano's
boxing took the forefront as the Strong Style Fight Team product
smacked Weedman around badly with powerful uppercuts, turning the
tide of the fight in his favor.

"My coaches told me I had to sit down a little bit more, take my
time. I rushed in and got caught," Lozano told Sherdog.com after
the bout. "The second round was what I had been preparing for. I
got away from it in the first round, it cost me."

Weedman continued to seek the takedown in the third round, but the
improved takedown defense of Lozano shut down his chances. Lozano's
boxing stayed crisp and wrestling stayed sharp, as judges Ricardo
Almeida, Romulo Bittencourt and Cardo Urso all awarded him
their scorecards, and he improved his career tally to 9-1.

K.
Mills

Saunders blasted Cisneros in
the final round.

For two rounds, UFC veteran Ben
Saunders looked for a way to submit his fellow welterweight
opponent Chris
Cisneros, but ultimately abandoned the idea in favor of some
trademark knees.

Saunders dominated the fight from top control over the first two
rounds, but was unable to secure the rear-naked chokes, kimuras and
armlocks that he sought. "Killa B" landed some blows from crucifix
position, and a triangle late in the first, but was thwarted by the
bell.

In the third, the 29-year-old Saunders clinched with Cisneros and
landed a brutal knee to the body that crumbled the Hawaiian, and
gave Saunders entry into the Bellator's tournament semifinals at
just 29 seconds of the final round. The Orlando, Fla., product is
now 11-3-2 in his MMA campaign.

"Lots of people got to see my ground game tonight, and see what I
can really bring to the table. I’m a brown belt in jiu-jitsu, not
just a stand up fighter, so I was happy with what I brought to the
cage tonight," Saunders told Sherdog.com after the bout.

K.
Mills

Lima decisioned Carl.

Hot Brazilian prospect and former MFC welterweight
champion Douglas
Lima had a scare in his quarterfinal bout with Bellator
tournament veteran Steve Carl,
but was able to use his top control to earn the crucial W.

The 23-year-old Lima survived an early knockdown from a Carl right
hook to use his superior strength and wrestling to keep Carl on his
back. Carl threatened with kimuras and sweeps from the guard, but
was never able to mount significant offense on the Atlanta-based
Brazilian due to constant pressure.

Retired UFC welterweight-turned-judge Ricardo
Almeida saw the bout 29-28 in favor of Lima, while judges Cardo
Urso and Jeff Blatnick gave the bout 30-27 to Lima, who took the
unanimous verdict and moves to 19-4 in his career.

In a minor upset, another American-based Brazilian, Luis Santos,
made his presence felt by taking a commanding decision, 30-27
across the board over Dan
Hornbuckle.

Santos, born in Belem, Brazil but training out of Finney's Hit
Squad in St. Louis, used his wide array of kicks to keep his
opponent at distance for much of the fight. Hornbuckle had some
success when he was able to get inside and land his jabs and
combos, but "Sapo" kicked hard and often to both the head and
legs.

K.
Mills

Santos outpointed Hornbuckle.

Near the end of the bout, Santos landed a head kick which staggered
"The Handler," reflective of his kicking dominance over the
15-minute victory that moves him to Santos moves to 50-6-1 in his
career.

The bout was also a triumph of another kind, as Santos' hotel room
was robbed two days prior to the event -- a circumstance Santos
described as "very difficult."